[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 25, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H7168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WORKFORCE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on a topic that 
should continue to be in the forefront of our agenda here in Congress: 
workforce training and development.
  Before coming to Congress, I owned and operated a small construction 
company in Lancaster County, and when we worked to expand our footprint 
in central Pennsylvania and sought out new markets to expand the 
business, we faced a serious problem: Many times, there just simply 
were not workers available to fill the jobs that we needed to fill in 
order to expand. Qualified or trained workers were just simply 
unavailable.
  Just recently, I met with half a dozen of the Nation's largest 
staffing agencies. They told me today that this has reached crisis 
proportions. They are seeing companies all across the country being 
faced with the same problem that I was faced with as a business owner, 
and companies now are making decisions on where to locate new 
facilities, where to expand based on the available workforce in that 
area. Sometimes, that is offshore rather than right here in America.
  I have seen the skills gap firsthand. I have managed through it, 
understood the impacts of it, and so now, in Congress, I am working to 
try to fix it. One of the best ways that we can lift people up, improve 
their standard of living, and create more opportunity is to connect 
them with a good-paying, family-sustaining job. Let's be honest: the 
best antipoverty program is a job.
  Right now, our economy is booming, consumer optimism is rising, and 
American manufacturing has risen in each of the last three quarters. We 
have sustained economic growth, and jobs are being created all across 
the country. In fact, there are roughly 6 million jobs available right 
now.
  Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said it best when he said, 
recently: ``We have gone from a nation that asks, `Where are the jobs?' 
to one that asks, `Where are the workers?' ''
  One of my priorities in Congress has been to work to expand 
opportunities for work-based learning, where individuals get real 
experience from real professionals as they are learning.
  I was very happy to see the Strengthening Career and Technical 
Education for the 21st Century Act just came back from the Senate. We 
will be, hopefully, passing that onto the President's desk this 
afternoon.
  There is additional work that we can do; therefore, I have introduced 
additional legislation that will continue this effort. H.R. 5153, the 
USA Workforce Tax Credit Act, would address the urgent need to ensure 
that current and future American workers are prepared for the jobs 
available in today's 21st century economy.
  By establishing a new Federal tax credit, this legislation would 
encourage donations for community-based apprenticeship programs, career 
and technical education, workforce development, and educational 
preparedness, and it would encourage partnerships with companies 
looking to sponsor these programs.
  Encouraging investments in organizations and programs that are 
preparing our workforce for the jobs of today means that more people 
will be connected with a job. It means more families will be improving 
their standard of living. It means that people will thrive off the 
dignity that jobs provide.
  But it is really more than just an investment in workforce training 
programs. It is an investment in the American people.
  There are so many different paths to obtaining a good-paying job. I 
have my own experience of running my construction company during the 
day while I was taking college courses at night. I never did quite 
obtain that bachelor's degree, but I gained the skills necessary for my 
industry.

  My experience isn't that different from so many people in this 
country. I know firsthand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution 
to finding a good job or helping others get connected with one. We have 
to ensure that our educational system is preparing workers to succeed 
in the 21st century. We have to invest in our people. I believe that 
this legislation makes a down payment and puts us on the right path.
  It is my hope that Congress advances this legislation to change 
lives, support families, lift people up, and support our growing 
economy.

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